MEMPHIS, TN – The mayor of Memphis greeted the Dalai Lama with a fist bump! Appropriate?

MEMPHIS, TN – The mayor of Memphis greeted the Dalai Lama with a fist bump! Appropriate?

The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the leader of the Tibetan Buddhist religion. He has lived in exile in India since 1950 due to persecution by the Chinese government. He was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his continued struggles for a peaceful resolution between the exiled Tibetans and China.

It is for all these reasons that many were surprised by the mayor’s manner of greeting the religious leader. The Dalai Lama was in Memphis to receive the National Civil Rights Museum’s Freedom Award and briefly met with the mayor.

Mayor Lowery told the Dalai Lama, “Here we also have a tradition,” as he showed His Holiness how to fist bump. “You say you’ve got a sense of humor,” Lowery said, “I’ve always wanted to say Hello Dalai.”